Pubdate: Wed, 26 Oct 2005
Source: Times-Advocate (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Exeter Times-Advocate
Contact:  http://www.southhuron.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2215
Author: Nina Van Lieshout

FORMER ADDICT SPEAKS AT SHDHS

EXETER -- Life has not always been easy for former drug addict Paul
Christie.

"I have come so far you wouldn't believe," he says.

Even now after staying sober for over six years there is still a bit
of a battle.

"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, I take it one day at a
time. I make sure today that I'm clean and sober, one day at a time is
great," explained Christie last week to a filled gym at South Huron
District High School.

Christie's long journey to where he is today began in Grade 7 when he
started smoking. In Grade 8 Christie began smoking marijuana and by
Grade 9 alcohol was already in the picture.

"One time my two friends and I were at a party and we ran out of
alcohol, we broke into this wealthy house here in Ontario, no one was
home so we stole the liquor in their cabinet," explains Christie.

"I don't remember much, just flashes, like bits and pieces but I woke
up and turned on the news the next morning...two multi-million dollar
homes burnt to the ground. When I got to school the police were there
and I was in trouble."

The police were by Christie's side for Grade 9 and part of Grade
10.

"By the time I was 15 I'd already began using syringes full of cocaine
and heroin and it just escalated from there."

Christie has spent time in both a psychiatric hospital and in
jail.

"I was also wanted for arson charges and break and enter from that
earlier incident in Canada but I fled to the States, to California and
didn't see my family for 11 years, then I ended up in jail in
California. Thank God though, I got bailed out really quickly."

Christie was a fugitive and his drug abuse was ruining his
life.

"I had a son. He's 11 now but I never spent much time with him. Not
having my family with me for so long has been a big regret."

Over the years Christie has lost 11 of his friends to suicide. "They
were all drug addicts and I consider myself responsible for five of
those deaths," says Christie.

"I actually tried to hang myself and I couldn't do it, it broke on me.
I felt like a loser, I couldn't even kill myself."

Christie considers himself a miracle. "I just woke up one day, looked
in the mirror and thought this is it, I don't want to do this anymore."

He spent four days in detox and nine months in rehab. The now
41-year-old lives in Fort Erie with his 11-year-old son.

"We get along great, we're like best friends."

Christie is being sponsored by the Niagara-On-The-Lake/Lewiston Rotary
Club, visiting 262 schools and speaking to over 200,000 students.

Christie will continue crossing Canada with his talks at different
high schools and when finished, "I'll speak at another 260, I'm going
to keep going," says Christie.

He has a web site detected to helping those who have a drug problem or
know of someone who does, it's http://www.gloryclouds.com
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin